When the American Girl catalog would enter my household, I’d page through the overpriced accessories with glee. I had Kirsten, because I was vaguely blonde-ish, and she was my very best friend. We slept in the same bed every night, we joined my swim club’s American Girl Club and dressed in the same clothes (yup, I was the unfortunate child who was a Swedish pioneer for Halloween). Eventually she grew up and had to get her own miniature bed, which ... Read More

I remember getting American Girl catalogs every few weeks in the mail when I was a little girl. I would beg my parents for a doll, and one Christmas I found Samantha waiting underneath my tree. Despite my love for turn-of-the-century girl Samantha, I always wanted one of the My American Girl dolls--the customizable ones with contemporary clothes and range of skin and hair colors. But I never saw one that looked just like me, with medium-tone skin, brown hair, and ... Read More

The American Girl doll is a strange cultural icon of ours. They simultaneously encourage self-love and individuality -- as well as the getting-one-because-everyone-has-one mindset of the herd. They're designed to look like a "real" 9-year-old girl, and aren't disproportionate molds of an unreachable beauty ideal like Barbie -- but they also cost hundreds of dollars more with all of their accessories, making them a conspicuous marker of economic status. (Or, ... Read More